Geographic science graduates trained in resource analysis, environmental conservation and sustainable development have obtained jobs with local, state and federal governments, non-profit organizations, and for-profit agencies. Organizations hire geographers to work in environmental and land use planning, resource management (including hydrology, forestry and soil conservation), area or regional specialties, international business, community development, and development of human and natural resources in foreign nations. Many geographic science graduates move on to graduate degrees (master's and Ph.D.) and become educators in higher education (community colleges and universities) or obtain other higher level positions in both the private and public sector.

Private environmental organizations and consulting firms, as well as government agencies, have all hired students completing the environmental studies concentration at JMU. Principal employers include the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey and non-profit organizations including the Nature Conservancy and Peace Corps. Particularly marketable for JMU geographic science graduates is the combination of experiences in the environmental geographies and AGIS.

In addition to the Geography Core requirements, students in the ECSD Concentration must complete the following coursework.

ECSD Concentration Requirements

Required Courses

Description

Credit Hours

GEOG 320

Human Dimensions of Global Change

3

GEOG 470

Senior Seminar in ECSD (choose one of the options listed below) *

3

Global Biodiversity

Politics of the Environment

Global Perspectives on Population

Sustainability

Principles and Theories of Sustainable Communities

* GEOG 429 also satisfies this requirement

ECSD Cognate courses (Choose 3 credit hours from the following)

Courses

Description

Credit Hours

GEOG 310

Environmental Issues

GEOG 331

Geography of Virginia

GEOG 339

Geography of Caribbean

GEOG 365

Cartography and Geospatial Visualization

3

GEOG 366

Geographic Information Science

3

GEOG 380

Cultural Geography

GEOG 385

Principles of Remote Sensing

3

GEOG 407

Forest Ecology

GEOG 429

Sustainability in Ecological Perspective

ECSD elective courses (12 credit hours selected from four of the following)

These 300-level courses are identified on their concentration form, which will be reviewed and approved by the ECSD committee. Other courses may substitute for one of the electives with approval of the ECSD committee.